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T O P I C R E V I E W
CDJay
CD1: Mixed By Fracus & Darwin
01. RedMoon & Meron Ryan - Heavyweight (Fracus & Darwin's VIP Intro Remix)
02. Fracus & Darwin - Snowflakes
03. DBL - Lived A Lie
04. Cube::Hard - Show Me A Sign (Fracus & Darwin Remix)
05. Ryan Kore & Stu Infinity - We Can Dance
06. Ganar - Crazy
07. Relect - Everybody In The House
08. Scoot & CS1 - Run The Night
09. SMD#4AA.17
10. Fracus & Darwin Feat. Toni Leo - Out Of The Rain
11. MOB & TekFreq - Bring The House Down
12. Fracus & Darwin Scream & Shout
13. Fracus & Darwin - First Love
14. Jakka B & Clarkey - Nas Nas
15. Andy Wilson - Missing You (F&D Edit)
16. Chexmixer & Stu Infinity - Edge Of A Broken Heart
17. Technikore & JTS Feat. Harri Rush - Closer
18. Outforce - Silhouettes
19. Marc Smith & Chris Fear - Enjoy The Noise
20. Darwin & Dy5on Feat. Bea Aria - You Are Still The One
CD2: Mixed by Scott Brown
01. Technikore & JTS vs Michael Mansion - Light Show
02. Outforce & Hartshorn Feat. MC Riddle - Keep It Mello (M-Project Remix)
03. Scott Brown - Pilgrim (Outforce & Enemy Remix)
04. Jakka-B - Lost In The Rhythm
05. Hotchkiss & Scott Brown - On My Mind
06. Ganar - I Want You (2017)
07. Scott Brown - To The Beat
08. Eufeion & Denile - Hear Me
09. SynthWulf - Last Symphony (Scott Brown Remix)
10. Callum Higby & Macks Wolf Feat. Rhezie - Right Here
11. SynthWulf & M-Project - Star Strider
12. Jekyll & Clarkey - Open Your Eyes
13. Scott Brown - Bendy March
14. Avi8 - The Forgotten Star (Macks Wolf & Clarkey Remix)
15. Scott Brown & Kelly C - Need You In My Arms (Ganar Remix)
16. TBC (yes, again )
17. Scott Brown - Play
18. Hotchkiss & M-Project - Never Know
19. Dougal & Joey Riot - The Roof Is On Fire
20. Plus System - This Is How We Do It (M-Project Remix)
Release date May 15th. Physical copies now shipping.
Same drill; limited edition 2xCd in pretty packaging and digital rights to all 40 unmixed tracks.
Www.hardcoreunderground.co.uk
Available as a bundle with Blu The Roof. 2017 is the year of HU.
CDJay
djDMS
Lots of variety.
Impressive stuff
arpz
Said this already but in the interest of 'Keeping the forums alive' -
The album looks fantastically varied, the scott brown CD being much less an artist showcase than the MOB disc on the first one. Not that an SB showcase would be any bad thing.
I'm looking forward to hearing heavyweight a second time around, it seemed to come at an odd point and I reckon it got missed a bit for some reason. Any Michael Mansion stuff is also greatly received.
And unless TBC fails, there's not even a suggestion of any red cup parties either, great stuff :)
djDMS
Out with the old....
Elliott
Back in the day, Scott Brown was one of the absolute worst for ramming compilation mixes (e.g. Bonkers) full of his own tracks but I guess that goes against the whole HH/HU mandate, Shame, frankly. These days, the scene needs more of his music and sound.
This will be an instant purchase from me just for the Scott Brown disk. It's like you guys have intentionally gone for the polar opposite of MOB. And you won't find many people here complaining.
Viva la happy hardcore.
Edit: Actually, on second examination of that Scott Brown tracklist, I'm entirely unconvinced. There's a whole lot of remixes and tracks by generic modern hardcore artists on there (including some serious classics that I don't think I could bear to hear butchered by the likes of Ganar). It would just be depressing to hear a "Scott Brown mix" full of that stuff. I'll think on this some more.
Samination
Am I gonna fall for this stick again? I'm going to fall for this stick again :P
Elliott: From the looks of it, Scott mix looks less like a ego trip than his Bonkers mixes usually was (Most of them might be signed to Evolution, but still...). But it does look like it will be gabber-less compared to the Bonkers mixes :(
quote:Originally posted by djDMS:
Out with the old....
... and in with the older!
latininxtc
Shocking to see that 90% of the tracklist for the 2nd CD isn't all Scott Brown tracks, and for the better IMO. Nothing wrong with Scott Brown as a producer, but I got burnt out of his ego trip mixes on compilations pretty fast. Plus after what we had to put up with Mob's mix on the last one, it's great to see a variety on the 2nd disc.
Fracus & Darwin's mix will be great I'm sure, but Heavyweight for the 1st track? Love the track, but hoping it's noticeably different than the original rwmix other than an intro. The track is almost 2yrs old now and has already been on HU7 as well as been played out quite a bit I'm sure.
Captain Triceps
You just wouldn't think that was a Scott Brown tracklist without already knowing it was him, would you.
When I have some more pennies in the next week or so I'll be looking at it.
Elipton
Plus System - This Is How We Do It (M-Project Remix) wets my taste buds. Hope I'll get to hear it
Rodz90
quote:Originally posted by Elipton:
Plus System - This Is How We Do It (M-Project Remix) wets my taste buds. Hope I'll get to hear it
Elipton
Pretty good shit
trippnface
am a tad skepticle of scott disc; but not really. lol.
kinda glad he switched it up; bought so much of his tracks this year ( due to him being one of the few doing anything) that i was worried it would be loads of already bought stuff.
Shame outforce had to go all powerstomp though; he made some great uk hardcore.
cant wait to see what Orbit1 cooks up though :D
need his name on more hardcore comps!
and why does nobody ever talk to Dowster & Vagabond?
they were/ have been silently busting pretty solid toons out for the last few years; and I never heard a peep from any other part of the hardcore scene. pretty dissapointing.
Samination
Sadly I doubt that orbit1 will bring something unique to the scene. Unless he's back to try proving Styles and Gammer wrong with their choices, who knows... but I rarelly liked Orbit1's track (he made much better stuff as The_Acolyte if you ask me).
Chwhynny
I just listened to the Scott Brown mix all the way through, and I have to say it's made me really happy. A great selection of tracks (and remixes!) that are true to Scott Brown's sound and vibe. I'm very impressed, and these days I am really hard to please.
Elliott
Wow. How anti-climactic is that remix of This Is How We Do It?
I know M-Project is one of HH.com's protected producers (insert trademark symbol) so I'm going to get flak for this but it's a lazy remix. All I'm hearing is the original track with a modern kick/bass combo prefixed with a fairly nice new breakdown. The endless remixes of You're Shining and You're My Angel had more originality than this. On the plus side, even the lead sounds very similar to the original so at least it's not 2017-core bad. In fact, it's not bad at all. It's just needless. I'd prefer some new music that sounds like this rather than fan service remixes.
Outforce used to be good (I forgot his alias before that but he was producing some good stuff long before he was called Outforce). Andy Wilson's done a few sick bits over the years -- loved his Last Jungle remix. Actually, Ganar was quite good too several years ago, even if his tracks did all sound the same. It's cool to see Chexmixer get a collab with Stu Infinity. Chex is a good guy and Stu Infinity used to be one of the best fringe producers in the scene. But I'm using the past tense a lot; they've all moved on now. None of them are producing music that I want to hear anymore. Sadly, I predict the Scott Brown tracks are going to turn out to be quite modern in style to keep in tone with the rest of the mix. Overall, this is really quite an uninspiring tracklist.
I'm sticking with what I said before. In the Bonkers days, when Scott Brown chose to exclusively showcase his own music, it could be frustrating because there was so much good stuff out there to choose from (even though SB was making enough bangers to fill his disks, in his defence). These days, when most other hardcore is shite, an SB-only disk would be a blessing. And I have extreme reservations about him being brought in to do a disk with people like Outforce and Ganar featured prominently. It'd be like bringing Trixxy out of retirement to do a UK hardcore disk. I just hope this isn't the beginning of the end of SB.
Dowster & Vagabond sank without trace it seems. A real shame. They were quietly working away churning out good hardcore. I think they learnt firsthand how difficult it is to keep producing a style that the scene has moved away from. They got no play or support from the wider scene at all, which is exactly the stuff that forces everyone to produce homogenous, generic music and/or abandon their principles if they want to continue making hardcore as anything other than a hobby.
Conversely, with the Orbit1 return, I've learnt to expect nothing from returning producers. In fact, it was a pleasant surprise when Dowster & Vagabond started coming out with a very traditional brand of UK hardcore. Most returning producers just seem to come back and slot in with the zeitgeist. Like the other names in my post, Orbit1 was good at one point, under both aliases, but there's a recurring theme here. I reckon he's going to half-commit to a more modern style and end up satisfying no-one. We've seen that before.
Never thought I'd write such a doom-and-gloomy post on a Scott Brown compilation CD. It's a sign of the times, I suppose.
Chwhynny
You were wrong last time, dude. And you're wrong again. The Scott Brown tracks are very true to his sound.
Elliott
quote:Originally posted by Chwhynny:
I just listened to the Scott Brown mix all the way through, and I have to say it's made me really happy. A great selection of tracks (and remixes!) that are true to Scott Brown's sound and vibe. I'm very impressed, and these days I am really hard to please.
Is this like "it sounds like Scott Brown" or is it like when CDJay tells me that hardcore is still happy?
Elliott
quote:Originally posted by Chwhynny:
You were wrong last time, dude. And you're wrong again. The Scott Brown tracks are very true to his sound.
Oops. I can't keep up with the posts it seems, which is pretty rare on here.
I wasn't really wrong. I thought that HU HH1 was a good showcase of some of the best that modern hardcore has to offer. When I accepted that it was what it was, I was able to enjoy it. But I was only able to enjoy it by compromising on my idea of hardcore, which I didn't think I would be able to do (that's where I was wrong). HH1 was a great way to paper over the cracks and temporarily avert my wrath but it wasn't enough to change my opinion of anything. You'll notice that I'm still decidedly unconverted!
CDJay
Could be both.
I said last time that we're in course correction mode, trying to fuse modern sounds with the roots and ethos of genre. If you ultimately hate those modern sounds, and begrudge the fact they aren't as they were, there's literally nothing anyone can do. As I said previously, I miss actual rave noises and wasn't entirely enamoured with 185 kick identikit super saw stuff by default.
If it isn't for you, that's absolutely fine, but moaning about people like Stu Infinity and Ganar is faintly mental as they're striking that balance better than most hence heavy featuring. *I* expected more SB stuff but he's genuinely enthused by what some of the new guys are doing. Even if that ultimately isn't in line with your taste it remains laudable.
It's fairly clear that this album isn't going to thrill you. I nonetheless maintain there are more deserving targets for your grievances
CDJay
Elliott
quote:Originally posted by CDJay:
Could be both.
I said last time that we're in course correction mode, trying to fuse modern sounds with the roots and ethos of genre. If you ultimately hate those modern sounds, and begrudge the fact they aren't as they were, there's literally nothing anyone can do. As I said previously, I miss actual rave noises and wasn't entirely enamoured with 185 kick identikit super saw stuff by default.
If it isn't for you, that's absolutely fine, but moaning about people like Stu Infinity and Ganar is faintly mental as they're striking that balance better than most hence heavy featuring. *I* expected more SB stuff but he's genuinely enthused by what some of the new guys are doing. Even if that ultimately isn't in line with your taste it remains laudable.
It's fairly clear that this album isn't going to thrill you. I nonetheless maintain there are more deserving targets for your grievances
CDJay
HH.com has been taken over -- or, more likely, never "evolved" in the first place. Sure, I'm the most vocal critic of modern hardcore but a heavy majority of members feel the same way as I do to varying extents (and never even mind all the people who've just given up and left).
You know I have a lot of respect for you personally and for the work you do. And with your immense personal attachment to your projects, sometimes my completely impersonal criticisms probably feel quite personal. But they're not intended to be at all. From my perspective, I'm just giving my honest opinion about a prospective product and doing it with far more class and eloquence than the "it's shit" crowd we used to have around here. Be happy that, here, even your biggest critic actually cares about what you do.
To me, hardcore sounds as homogenous as ever. I gave a single sentence description in another thread that comfortably encompasses >90% of modern hardcore. The only real difference between then and now is that I liked supersaws. I never got bored of them. It's difficult to get bored of such a big, complex, layered sound.
How do I know I won't like the new album? I haven't heard it. All I can do is express reservations; I certainly can't condemn it to the shitheap. With Scott Brown involved, I may well take a punt on the purchase anyway. Unfortunately, even an album is a big outlay for me these days so it's something I have to think about but I might decide that I trust SB's judgement. Best case scenario and for all I know, he could even revive good hardcore by showing everyone that it's still possible to make that stuff commercially and as a big name.
My utopian ideal of the hardcore scene is one of real diversity where everyone produces what they actually want to produce without feeling any pressure at all to conform to any conventions. I'll never give up on it entirely.
Samination
Elliott: If you ask me, M-Project is playing safe for the UK residents rather than being himself, so you wont see me bemoaning your criticms about him. I just hope he's experimenting with new sound (relative to himself) than actually trying to become "british" with his sound.
CDJay
Ah, Elliott, on one thing we 100% agree!
I'm *far* more interested in supporting artists that have a definable sound of their own, even if it does follow some of the patterns and influences that define the era in which they reside.
That, ultimately, is where I see albums like this having the most impact. If we reward people for writing interesting and identifiable music, rather than chastising them for not using whatever kick drum, lead sound and production methodology is the top-tier-agreed "norm", we'll end up with rounded artists writing interesting music.
It'll take time, but it's a realistic goal.
CDJay
Elipton
quote:Originally posted by CDJay:
Ah, Elliott, on one thing we 100% agree!
I'm *far* more interested in supporting artists that have a definable sound of their own, even if it does follow some of the patterns and influences that define the era in which they reside.
That, ultimately, is where I see albums like this having the most impact. If we reward people for writing interesting and identifiable music, rather than chastising them for not using whatever kick drum, lead sound and production methodology is the top-tier-agreed "norm", we'll end up with rounded artists writing interesting music.
It'll take time, but it's a realistic goal.
CDJay
This was refreshing to read. Of course, it's not news that this was your mantra, but it's good to be reminded. I hope that artists have open license to have fun and make it super unique. There's a lot of talent, it just needs to run amok every now and again.
CDJay
A good example of this is that "Edge of a Broken Heart" track. I was genuinely surprised it exists.
It's unique sounding, floaty, moves around throughout the track and is constantly interesting.
*THAT* is what I want to see more of.
SynthWulf - Last Symphony (Scott Brown Remix) is awesome, too, familiar sounding in some ways and utterly unique in how it all pulls together.
There's plenty of stand out stuff from this album and what I *really* like about it is that we can help "break" tracks that would otherwise be lost on digital vendor release. Albums like this matter, even if most of the major players have forgotten.
" I hope that artists have open license to have fun and make it super unique. There's a lot of talent, it just needs to run amok every now and again."
They do, but it'll likely take time for them to realise it. Positive reinforcement
CDJay
Samination
Vladel
quote:Originally posted by Samination:
Elliott: If you ask me, M-Project is playing safe for the UK residents rather than being himself, so you wont see me bemoaning your criticms about him. I just hope he's experimenting with new sound (relative to himself) than actually trying to become "british" with his sound.
M-project is a true god of this scene and I think he has earned the right to try something different. He does have a wide spectrum of sounds he works with and some I appreciate and others I do not but his work cannot be ignored and while his "this is how we do it" remix isn't ground breaking, there is only so much you can do with that track without fundamentally changing it to the point where you may as well call it something else.
trippnface
quote:Originally posted by Elliott:
Wow. How anti-climactic is that remix of This Is How We Do It?
I know M-Project is one of HH.com's protected producers (insert trademark symbol) so I'm going to get flak for this but it's a lazy remix. All I'm hearing is the original track with a modern kick/bass combo prefixed with a fairly nice new breakdown. The endless remixes of You're Shining and You're My Angel had more originality than this. On the plus side, even the lead sounds very similar to the original so at least it's not 2017-core bad. In fact, it's not bad at all. It's just needless. I'd prefer some new music that sounds like this rather than fan service remixes.
Outforce used to be good (I forgot his alias before that but he was producing some good stuff long before he was called Outforce). Andy Wilson's done a few sick bits over the years -- loved his Last Jungle remix. Actually, Ganar was quite good too several years ago, even if his tracks did all sound the same. It's cool to see Chexmixer get a collab with Stu Infinity. Chex is a good guy and Stu Infinity used to be one of the best fringe producers in the scene. But I'm using the past tense a lot; they've all moved on now. None of them are producing music that I want to hear anymore. Sadly, I predict the Scott Brown tracks are going to turn out to be quite modern in style to keep in tone with the rest of the mix. Overall, this is really quite an uninspiring tracklist.
I'm sticking with what I said before. In the Bonkers days, when Scott Brown chose to exclusively showcase his own music, it could be frustrating because there was so much good stuff out there to choose from (even though SB was making enough bangers to fill his disks, in his defence). These days, when most other hardcore is shite, an SB-only disk would be a blessing. And I have extreme reservations about him being brought in to do a disk with people like Outforce and Ganar featured prominently. It'd be like bringing Trixxy out of retirement to do a UK hardcore disk. I just hope this isn't the beginning of the end of SB.
Dowster & Vagabond sank without trace it seems. A real shame. They were quietly working away churning out good hardcore. I think they learnt firsthand how difficult it is to keep producing a style that the scene has moved away from. They got no play or support from the wider scene at all, which is exactly the stuff that forces everyone to produce homogenous, generic music and/or abandon their principles if they want to continue making hardcore as anything other than a hobby.
Conversely, with the Orbit1 return, I've learnt to expect nothing from returning producers. In fact, it was a pleasant surprise when Dowster & Vagabond started coming out with a very traditional brand of UK hardcore. Most returning producers just seem to come back and slot in with the zeitgeist. Like the other names in my post, Orbit1 was good at one point, under both aliases, but there's a recurring theme here. I reckon he's going to half-commit to a more modern style and end up satisfying no-one. We've seen that before.
Never thought I'd write such a doom-and-gloomy post on a Scott Brown compilation CD. It's a sign of the times, I suppose.
you NEED to swoop HU vs 24/7 hardcore dude; i promise you will love atleast a few of those tracks. daniel seven cd as well.
TRUST ME.
atleast 1 or 2 tracks that could pass for some serious 08 uk hardcore banger shit
** like; why has this not been brought up yet; actually.
2 of the most impressive dics i have purchased from HU.
I for one have not had this much pleasure and faith in uk hardcore in a very long time :D
CDJay
I'll put crazy good odds on Elliot liking the "Show me A Sign" remix, too
CDJay
trippnface
quote:Originally posted by Vladel:
quote:Originally posted by Samination:
Elliott: If you ask me, M-Project is playing safe for the UK residents rather than being himself, so you wont see me bemoaning your criticms about him. I just hope he's experimenting with new sound (relative to himself) than actually trying to become "british" with his sound.
M-project is a true god of this scene and I think he has earned the right to try something different. He does have a wide spectrum of sounds he works with and some I appreciate and others I do not but his work cannot be ignored and while his "this is how we do it" remix isn't ground breaking, there is only so much you can do with that track without fundamentally changing it to the point where you may as well call it something else.
M project remix of Run to Me though; 8=============================D
Elliott
I was very apprehensive about the F&D remix of Cube::Hard. I love(d) Cube::Hard. I thought he was low-key one of the best fringe producers in the scene. Micro N2, Vitality, Hold The Beat and Music Of The Primes are absolute classics.
I will admit, though, that having heard the remix, it is stomping. If even a fraction of the F&D disk turns out like this, I'll eat my words with a smile on my face. I also have hope that if tracks like this are in the F&D mix then the SB mix might turn out to be what we're all hoping for.
What I've heard so far was tailor-made for my tastebuds though so let's wait and see what happens.
Edit: And when I say stomping, I mean by proper standards; not even 2017 standards.
Elliott
quote:Originally posted by trippnface:
quote:Originally posted by Elliott:
Wow. How anti-climactic is that remix of This Is How We Do It?
I know M-Project is one of HH.com's protected producers (insert trademark symbol) so I'm going to get flak for this but it's a lazy remix. All I'm hearing is the original track with a modern kick/bass combo prefixed with a fairly nice new breakdown. The endless remixes of You're Shining and You're My Angel had more originality than this. On the plus side, even the lead sounds very similar to the original so at least it's not 2017-core bad. In fact, it's not bad at all. It's just needless. I'd prefer some new music that sounds like this rather than fan service remixes.
Outforce used to be good (I forgot his alias before that but he was producing some good stuff long before he was called Outforce). Andy Wilson's done a few sick bits over the years -- loved his Last Jungle remix. Actually, Ganar was quite good too several years ago, even if his tracks did all sound the same. It's cool to see Chexmixer get a collab with Stu Infinity. Chex is a good guy and Stu Infinity used to be one of the best fringe producers in the scene. But I'm using the past tense a lot; they've all moved on now. None of them are producing music that I want to hear anymore. Sadly, I predict the Scott Brown tracks are going to turn out to be quite modern in style to keep in tone with the rest of the mix. Overall, this is really quite an uninspiring tracklist.
I'm sticking with what I said before. In the Bonkers days, when Scott Brown chose to exclusively showcase his own music, it could be frustrating because there was so much good stuff out there to choose from (even though SB was making enough bangers to fill his disks, in his defence). These days, when most other hardcore is shite, an SB-only disk would be a blessing. And I have extreme reservations about him being brought in to do a disk with people like Outforce and Ganar featured prominently. It'd be like bringing Trixxy out of retirement to do a UK hardcore disk. I just hope this isn't the beginning of the end of SB.
Dowster & Vagabond sank without trace it seems. A real shame. They were quietly working away churning out good hardcore. I think they learnt firsthand how difficult it is to keep producing a style that the scene has moved away from. They got no play or support from the wider scene at all, which is exactly the stuff that forces everyone to produce homogenous, generic music and/or abandon their principles if they want to continue making hardcore as anything other than a hobby.
Conversely, with the Orbit1 return, I've learnt to expect nothing from returning producers. In fact, it was a pleasant surprise when Dowster & Vagabond started coming out with a very traditional brand of UK hardcore. Most returning producers just seem to come back and slot in with the zeitgeist. Like the other names in my post, Orbit1 was good at one point, under both aliases, but there's a recurring theme here. I reckon he's going to half-commit to a more modern style and end up satisfying no-one. We've seen that before.
Never thought I'd write such a doom-and-gloomy post on a Scott Brown compilation CD. It's a sign of the times, I suppose.
you NEED to swoop HU vs 24/7 hardcore dude; i promise you will love atleast a few of those tracks. daniel seven cd as well.
TRUST ME.
atleast 1 or 2 tracks that could pass for some serious 08 uk hardcore banger shit
** like; why has this not been brought up yet; actually.
2 of the most impressive dics i have purchased from HU.
I for one have not had this much pleasure and faith in uk hardcore in a very long time :D
I haven't exactly been the best at keeping up with recent developments because every time I try, I just get disappointed. And when you love hardcore as much as I do, it gets quite depressing.
Thanks for the heads up mate. I have faith in your opinion so I'll check these out. If I was still able to work, I'd just take a gamble and blind buy them right now but I'll seriously consider it.
Elliott
quote:Originally posted by Samination:
Elliott: If you ask me, M-Project is playing safe for the UK residents rather than being himself, so you wont see me bemoaning your criticms about him. I just hope he's experimenting with new sound (relative to himself) than actually trying to become "british" with his sound.
Fair point. M-Project has plenty of credit in the bank with me because of his recent SB collabs. The Spark, in particular, is everything we need more of.
It's not like there's anything wrong with his remix anyway. I'd just rather hear a fresh track in that style.
Sulphurik
Intrigued with the tracklist. Recognise a few tracks which are good to see on album. Good to see Scott Brown mix with quite a few tracks from new talent in the scene.
Elliott - M Project This is how we do it remix is very good.
Elliott
quote:Originally posted by Sulphurik:
Intrigued with the tracklist. Recognise a few tracks which are good to see on album. Good to see Scott Brown mix with quite a few tracks from new talent in the scene.
Elliott - M Project This is how we do it remix is very good.
Maybe I should've worded my criticism less strongly. My complaint is just that it's another vanilla update of another hardcore classic that didn't particularly need to be updated. Yes, it's enjoyable because the original track was enjoyable.
If a talented producer like MP is going to go to the trouble of emulating this style and lead, I'd rather he did something completely fresh with it. That way we'd have This Is How We Do It and something that isn't This Is How We Do It to enjoy instead of two copies of more or less the same tune.
It's a nitpick really!
Edit: I didn't mind updates so much when we were drowning in good hardcore but great producers making this kind of music is a rarity now so I want every track to count, if that makes sense.
CDJay
F&D wanted it for cd1 but it's a headline track. I love the euro 90s noises in it, very early Dune.
Frankly I look forward to reclaiming the last 25 years of genre without being sneered at.
This is phase two, it only amps from here. Fresh thinking, respect for roots, aspirations for our scene. Toot, toot!
The last 18 months nearly killed us, but I have never been more positive.
This is it.
CDJay
Elliott
quote:Originally posted by CDJay:
F&D wanted it for cd1 but it's a headline track. I love the euro 90s noises in it, very early Dune.
Frankly I look forward to reclaiming the last 25 years of genre without being sneered at.
This is phase two, it only amps from here. Fresh thinking, respect for roots, aspirations for our scene. Toot, toot!
The last 18 months nearly killed us, but I have never been more positive.
This is it.
CDJay
Thanks for sharing the awesomeness of the Cube::Hard remix with me. I didn't know F&D could still make them like that. ;)
Have you cherry-picked the tranciest, most awesome, most '00s sounding track on the album though or can I get excited?
CDJay
I just happened to get the final version as Chwhynny decided to wind you up. Obviously it's not *all* like that. It is a small show of force. We are no longer afraid. The princesses can call us oldskool all they want. The genre is ours. Tolerate the short term and seek horizon. The reason *reason* loses is people with a clue giving up the investigation.
CDJay
Elliott
quote:Originally posted by CDJay:
I just happened to get the final version as Chwhynny decided to wind you up. Obviously it's not *all* like that. It is a small show of force. We are no longer afraid. The princesses can call us oldskool all they want. The genre is ours. Tolerate the short term and seek horizon. The reason *reason* loses is people with a clue giving up the investigation.
CDJay
Well, I can salute this. I want genuine diversity and a scene where people can make the kind of music they want without being punished commercially. The frustrating thing is that the '00s vibe is still commercially viable and there's an obvious market for it but we all know why it isn't being produced much.
I like the noises you're making about taking on the stranglehold that certain people have over the direction of the music. This is exactly the role that HU should and needs to play. Don't let them dictate the terms of the fight (unfortunately, it is a fight, as you know).
I have genuine hope that SB can shake up the scene if he decides not to compromise his artistic integrity. It's ironic, of course, because SB had a reputation for being a bit of a dinosaur and never evolving but now we need those same attributes to help the scene evolve.
Tell her I picked her track out on the last album as one of my highlights!
That is exactly the kind of shit that gets people around here into attack mode. How can anyone claim that hardcore has enough diversity or that the sound isn't being manipulated by directives from the top? The music media - when they aren't ignoring us completely - has heralded a "new era" of hardcore that sounds, uh, suspiciously similar to a certain label -- or, more specifically, a certain polarising duo. Usually their proclamations come with a free derisory snort aimed at hardcore of the '90s and/or '00s. Apparently you can't have one without denigrating the other.
Given the author's apparent awareness of a concentration of power in the scene, you would think that a puff piece would mention some other names or labels like HU, if only to make it look like the scene actually has variety. That article couldn't have been written any better if it had come straight from TWR's PR department. Speaking of which, what's C.Kay up to these days anyway?
The deal seems to have been "if you all sack off that happy supersaw shit, pretend it never happened and produce mainstream EDM at 170bpm, we'll make a few of you moderately big names that occasionally get a decent slot at a hardstyle festival where a handful of sufficiently E'd up hipsters who've vaguely heard of you might stick around and listen to a couple of tracks -- the rest of you will get nothing and your scene will die in pursuit of an elusive new audience but don't worry because there's always a tiny chance that the few who make it might drop 30 seconds of one of your tunes in Las Vegas and we'll post a clip on YouTube". That's real exposure! To an American audience!
Sulphurik
quote:Originally posted by Elliott:
quote:Originally posted by CDJay:
I just happened to get the final version as Chwhynny decided to wind you up. Obviously it's not *all* like that. It is a small show of force. We are no longer afraid. The princesses can call us oldskool all they want. The genre is ours. Tolerate the short term and seek horizon. The reason *reason* loses is people with a clue giving up the investigation.
CDJay
Well, I can salute this. I want genuine diversity and a scene where people can make the kind of music they want without being punished commercially. The frustrating thing is that the '00s vibe is still commercially viable and there's an obvious market for it but we all know why it isn't being produced much.
I like the noises you're making about taking on the stranglehold that certain people have over the direction of the music. This is exactly the role that HU should and needs to play. Don't let them dictate the terms of the fight (unfortunately, it is a fight, as you know).
I have genuine hope that SB can shake up the scene if he decides not to compromise his artistic integrity. It's ironic, of course, because SB had a reputation for being a bit of a dinosaur and never evolving but now we need those same attributes to help the scene evolve.
Tell her I picked her track out on the last album as one of my highlights!
That is exactly the kind of shit that gets people around here into attack mode. How can anyone claim that hardcore has enough diversity or that the sound isn't being manipulated by directives from the top? The music media - when they aren't ignoring us completely - has heralded a "new era" of hardcore that sounds, uh, suspiciously similar to a certain label -- or, more specifically, a certain polarising duo. Usually their proclamations come with a free derisory snort aimed at hardcore of the '90s and/or '00s. Apparently you can't have one without denigrating the other.
Given the author's apparent awareness of a concentration of power in the scene, you would think that a puff piece would mention some other names or labels like HU, if only to make it look like the scene actually has variety. That article couldn't have been written any better if it had come straight from TWR's PR department. Speaking of which, what's C.Kay up to these days anyway?
The deal seems to have been "if you all sack off that happy supersaw shit, pretend it never happened and produce mainstream EDM at 170bpm, we'll make a few of you moderately big names that occasionally get a decent slot at a hardstyle festival where a handful of sufficiently E'd up hipsters who've vaguely heard of you might stick around and listen to a couple of tracks -- the rest of you will get nothing and your scene will die in pursuit of an elusive new audience but don't worry because there's always a tiny chance that the few who make it might drop 30 seconds of one of your tunes in Las Vegas and we'll post a clip on YouTube". That's real exposure! To an American audience!
Thanks for that link. Interesting to read that and most of those tracks hadn't heard. Quite liking the sound of most of them actually. Mark Breeze - Be Alone sounds really good.
You & I Da Tweekaz remix sounds good. I'm not really that into hardstyle but sometimes I take notions of listening to it. Do love the melodic style and with vocals works well in the You & I remix. There are some of the Dutch hardstyle artists have been impressed with what they've done.
What's anyone's thoughts of hardstyle in UK Hardcore tracks? I would be all for influences of the melodic side of hardstyle in UK hardcore like Be Alone but wouldn't be so keen on hardstyle beats. Tracks like Scott Brown - Promise. I like the track but I'm a fan of the normal UK hardcore kickdrum. Some hardstyle sounding UK hardcore tracks might be ok but it's not something I would be that keen to hear more of.
lewiscanon
quote:Originally posted by djDMS:
Out with the old....
As the saying goes Oot wif the old in wif the new but the Old tunes is still gold :D . Is this available in IMO Download aswell as the main site?
CDJay
No, you get the digital rights assigned with purchase of the limited edition CD
That's both DJ mixes *and* 40 unmixed tracks.
CDJay
Sulphurik
quote:Originally posted by Elliott:
Wow. How anti-climactic is that remix of This Is How We Do It?
I know M-Project is one of HH.com's protected producers (insert trademark symbol) so I'm going to get flak for this but it's a lazy remix. All I'm hearing is the original track with a modern kick/bass combo prefixed with a fairly nice new breakdown. The endless remixes of You're Shining and You're My Angel had more originality than this. On the plus side, even the lead sounds very similar to the original so at least it's not 2017-core bad. In fact, it's not bad at all. It's just needless. I'd prefer some new music that sounds like this rather than fan service remixes.
Outforce used to be good (I forgot his alias before that but he was producing some good stuff long before he was called Outforce). Andy Wilson's done a few sick bits over the years -- loved his Last Jungle remix. Actually, Ganar was quite good too several years ago, even if his tracks did all sound the same. It's cool to see Chexmixer get a collab with Stu Infinity. Chex is a good guy and Stu Infinity used to be one of the best fringe producers in the scene. But I'm using the past tense a lot; they've all moved on now. None of them are producing music that I want to hear anymore. Sadly, I predict the Scott Brown tracks are going to turn out to be quite modern in style to keep in tone with the rest of the mix. Overall, this is really quite an uninspiring tracklist.
I'm sticking with what I said before. In the Bonkers days, when Scott Brown chose to exclusively showcase his own music, it could be frustrating because there was so much good stuff out there to choose from (even though SB was making enough bangers to fill his disks, in his defence). These days, when most other hardcore is shite, an SB-only disk would be a blessing. And I have extreme reservations about him being brought in to do a disk with people like Outforce and Ganar featured prominently. It'd be like bringing Trixxy out of retirement to do a UK hardcore disk. I just hope this isn't the beginning of the end of SB.
Dowster & Vagabond sank without trace it seems. A real shame. They were quietly working away churning out good hardcore. I think they learnt firsthand how difficult it is to keep producing a style that the scene has moved away from. They got no play or support from the wider scene at all, which is exactly the stuff that forces everyone to produce homogenous, generic music and/or abandon their principles if they want to continue making hardcore as anything other than a hobby.
Conversely, with the Orbit1 return, I've learnt to expect nothing from returning producers. In fact, it was a pleasant surprise when Dowster & Vagabond started coming out with a very traditional brand of UK hardcore. Most returning producers just seem to come back and slot in with the zeitgeist. Like the other names in my post, Orbit1 was good at one point, under both aliases, but there's a recurring theme here. I reckon he's going to half-commit to a more modern style and end up satisfying no-one. We've seen that before.
Never thought I'd write such a doom-and-gloomy post on a Scott Brown compilation CD. It's a sign of the times, I suppose.
Disappointing to hear about Dowster & Vagabond - hopefully they will release more tracks again in the future. Bought a few of their tracks recently. Their collab with M-Project I Wanna Be I love. Another of their tracks Make the club shake just heard recently, sounds great - bit different to their normal style.
Podcast 18 sounds good! Some great sounding tracks.
djDMS
Some great new stuff on there. Heard quite a lot of the tracks off the new album now and it's sounding promising.
Unfortunately 'disappointingdropcore' hasn't quite gone away yet but things are improving slowly
CDJay
I entirely get where you're coming from, there's little evidence on this album.
I'm serene.
CDJay
djDMS
So confident I'm going to enjoy it, I paid full price ;-)
CDJay
Insane behaviour!
CDJay
djDMS
I see it as an investment :-)
PecheyTheLizard
Oh boy I can't wait to download and convert all of the tracks to mp3! (End me)
Ohh who am I kidding, it was worth it! I'm so psyched! Between this album and Ravestars, I'm so pumped to get my XDJ RX this summer so I can learn to spin some of these tunes!
CDJay
We're hoping to have the option for .wav or .mp3 by release
CDJay
PecheyTheLizard
In a Zip file as well? That would be nifty too ;)
CDJay
I believe that is also in the offing....
CDJay
Samination
quote:Originally posted by CDJay:
Insane behaviour!
CDJay
boo, why you edit your post :(
I'm not buying this crap unless you re-add skarr to your post :P
djDMS
It's fine as it is.
I'll buy another copy to make up for it.
CDJay
*sneezes*
(a tissue)
CDJay
Samination
not that I remember exactly what it said, but it had skarr in it and that was good enough for me :P
CDJay
I said he could be in charge, but relentlessly assaulting things isn't the beginnings of a construction company. I can't work out an agenda but he seems to genuinely care yet attacks everything. Which is fairly counterproductive if you look at what is in play. I can't work it out.
CDJay
CDJay
This release is already doing very well, which is great news! Really excited for people to hear it; there's a real sense of a genre finding itself again and becoming a bit more inclusive.
CDJay
Rodz90
@CDJay - Whats the deal with digital delivery? Has it been activated? I would have thought you would have that kind of thing automated with the date of release? Today is the release date, or has it moved?
CDJay
Sorry, just back from the Clubland weekender.
We haven't taken delivery of the CDs yet, doubling the order appears to have affected turn around time and we were working on a ridiculously tight schedule in the first place.
Also, frankly, we saw the 100% Clubland Hardcore CD appear on amazon and blinked. This was then further compounded when I saw Fracus & Darwin at the bottom of the flyer for the classics night at HTID In The Sun. Le sigh.
We have limited tools at our disposal, and always seem to always be padding upstream; the one thing I know for sure is that timing matters. This has, demonstrably, led to us missing release dates on multiple occasions which I loathe more than anyone
I want to do more albums, and I want to use them to improve both our standing in the scene and our ability to enable others. For this reason, we've decided to knock it back until May 19th.
It's worth the wait!
CDJay
latininxtc
quote:Originally posted by CDJay:
Also, frankly, we saw the 100% Clubland Hardcore CD appear on amazon and blinked
CDJay
Just looked at the tracklist. 84 tracks across 4 CDs. All of them seem to be 5+ yrs old. There's no indication that they're mixed CDs so they're probably all radio edits.
Funny how they don't have the confidence to release an album with new material and instead recycle the same damn tracks over and over again. And their tagline for this album: "It's the only hardcore album you need!"
djDMS
I cancelled my HH2 order and pre ordered Clubland instead.
CDJay
We've had continuing discussion internally, and will release the digital assets before the 19th.
More soon
CDJay
djDMS
Too late.
I needed to buy Save me, You're shining, and Come running again...
Samination
does that mean my order on 3 albums will be delayed to the 19th? :o
djDMS
quote:Originally posted by Samination:
does that mean my order on 3 albums will be delayed to the 19th? :o
Yes.
Of December
latininxtc
quote:Originally posted by djDMS:
quote:Originally posted by Samination:
does that mean my order on 3 albums will be delayed to the 19th? :o
Yes.
Of December
In 2018
Samination
Oi. That's almost Hixxy-level delay.
CDJay
We'll try ship out the internationals ahead of the new release date, which is something we always want to do yet never get to.
Howzat?
CDJay
trippnface
quote:Originally posted by djDMS:
I cancelled my HH2 order and pre ordered Clubland instead.
why did breeze do that?
who is gunna by mixes with all old tracks; that are not even full tracks?
djDMS
It's easy money.
There are still many people out there who think buying the same old tunes, mixed in a different order is the way to go.
I don't understand why but it happens.
How many people (apart from some of us here) questioned why they didn't bother releasing the last CXH album? Not many.
Just goes to show how easy it is to fool the average raver/buyer.
Captain Triceps
quote:Originally posted by trippnface:
quote:Originally posted by djDMS:
I cancelled my HH2 order and pre ordered Clubland instead.
why did breeze do that?
who is gunna by mixes with all old tracks; that are not even full tracks?
Some people do. It seems mind numbingly stupid now but back in the day I bought stacks of albums filled mostly with tracks I already had. It's a little different now though, back then it was all on CD, different DJs with their own mixing styles etc, now you can bloody download everything, and one free mix is no different to a commercial one, so I'd not buy a digital album like this for obvious reasons.
You just have to hope this hasn't been set up with any malicious intent.
Cyrax
quote:Originally posted by djDMS:
It's easy money.
Exactly, it's pretty standard within the music industry, even Hardcore Underground and Stamina do things like this, releasing old tracks again packaged up, VIP remixes, 2017 updates etc.... it's all new revenue streams.
I don't see the correlation between Clubland and HH2, I assume HH2 would have had a whole load of pre-orders, also the tracklists are vastly different.
djDMS
Shameless cash in.
Weekender, innit.
Elliott
quote:Originally posted by djDMS:
It's easy money.
There are still many people out there who think buying the same old tunes, mixed in a different order is the way to go.
I don't understand why but it happens.
How many people (apart from some of us here) questioned why they didn't bother releasing the last CXH album? Not many.
Just goes to show how easy it is to fool the average raver/buyer.
I doubt the average raver outside of this forum even knew the real reason it was odd that CXH 10 never happened (i.e. they were contracted in two blocks of 5 iirc).
At the risk of sounding pretentious, HH.com is basically where every single intelligent hardcore fan comes. In a hardcore pub quiz, our 12 man HH.com team would wipe the floor with everyone else who has ever attended a HTID event.
On the subject of a "Best Of" (which we all thought was coming for years), I doubt Styles, Breeze and Gammer were particularly thrilled by the prospect. They seem to want to forget the series ever happened so I really don't think they'll like AATW throwing it in their face that their best years are long behind them.
To be fair, this shit happens all the time in other genres too. How many "Greatest Hits" albums have a band like Status Quo released over the years? I can think of 6 off the top of my head. It's clearly a money-spinner and doesn't point to a particular cognitive deficit in hardcore fans specifically.
Personally, if I was forced to choose, I'd still go for this "100%" nonsense. I don't want to know what an actual CXH10 would sound like now. The last one caused 20 pages of arguments. Sadly, I don't think enough people even care either way these days.
Elliott
quote:Originally posted by CDJay:
HH themed HU podcast is up now!
That Gareth Emery remix is such a banger. Silhouettes goes hard (much better than expected from Outforce). Seven & Sc@r track is heavy. Andy Wilson doesn't disappoint too much.
Obviously plenty of shit in between but I don't see any point in naming and shaming.
This mix actually feels like a reversion to the mean to a limited extent. Mildly exciting times.
whittle1
quote:Originally posted by CDJay:
Sorry, just back from the Clubland weekender.
We haven't taken delivery of the CDs yet, doubling the order appears to have affected turn around time and we were working on a ridiculously tight schedule in the first place.
Also, frankly, we saw the 100% Clubland Hardcore CD appear on amazon and blinked. This was then further compounded when I saw Fracus & Darwin at the bottom of the flyer for the classics night at HTID In The Sun. Le sigh.
We have limited tools at our disposal, and always seem to always be padding upstream; the one thing I know for sure is that timing matters. This has, demonstrably, led to us missing release dates on multiple occasions which I loathe more than anyone
I want to do more albums, and I want to use them to improve both our standing in the scene and our ability to enable others. For this reason, we've decided to knock it back until May 19th.
It's worth the wait!
CDJay
Standard routine from HU these days. Release pushed back, CDJay required to come up with an excuse again. This must have been the 20th, 30th time it's happened with releases on your site? Come on this is really unprofessional. Speaking of which, I made an order last month on a CD... paid via PayPal... after a while no CD came, messaged the team via website no reply... had to open a case on PayPal to get my money back (of which there was also no reply from Hardcore Underground). Oh and whilst we're at it why do you charge 3.50 for postage, when second class signed for large letters only cost 2.32 (and likely less than 2 quid, if you have an business account with royal mail - care to clarify that one?). I really want to get behind you guys because I love the brand and the music HU produces... it's hardcore's one and only salvation... but treat your consumers with a little more respect (try not announcing delays on the DAY of release)!!
CDJay
We use Royal Mail Tracked 48, the reason there was a post outage was that we tried to migrate to standard 24 with delivery confirmation (to make it more affordable for our customers) but after the switch they said it worked only on parcels and wasn't flat rate. This all happened whilst I was doing 20 hour days to and from London trying to do the blu ray.
The website relaunch was disastrous, my leased line has gone down repeatedly and they tried to charge us double the excess construction fees in a still ongoing drama.
During this period, a meeting was had where HU was marked for death and most of the major scene players were participants active or not. Fracus finally snapped after 10 years of hell and went faintly awol whilst I tried to do the job of 20 people instead of the usual 10.
Not excusing anything, as I will say this is probably the least professional and effective we've ever been, but the climate and struggle is currently untenable. We're close to winning but genuinely may not survive to see it. I just pawned my wife's pristine tb303 to match a bill entirely due to this delay and made her cry. Heartening stuff.
If anyone else in this industry gave half of a much of a shit as us I wouldn't have to apologise.
CDJay
CDJay
We pay ?3.52 + VAT for Tracked 48, which excludes Jiffy bags used to post.
The store is a shambles atm, we're trying to fix it. I am aware the damage from post outage and customer relations may be irreparable.
CDJay
djDMS
Ever thought of getting a few volunteers in to help with stuff?
I'm sure there's enough expertise (or even goodwill) floating around to assist with a few bits.
Just say the word and those floodgates will open ;-)
CDJay
If someone is nice enough to offer I just couldn't bring myself to inflict it on them.
That said, we need someone to run a stall at events. The amount of revenue and exposure missed out on at the Clubland weekender simply as we were too broken is faintly traumatic.
CDJay
arpz
Relentless 2
Keep it Lethal Vol 2
Keep it Lethal Vol 1
Electronic Happy Dreamer
HU Vs 24/7 DJ Tools Soundclash
HU DJ Tools 1
HU DJ Tools 2
HU DJ Tools 3
HU DJ Tools 4
HU DJ Tools 5
Diversions
Filth & Dumb Hatred
Point of No Return
Hardcore Heaven
Dark Shadows 1
Dark Shadows 2
Dark Shadows 3
Le Gra Go Deo
Dedicated
Album Sessions Vol 4
The 100 Series Vol 1
The 100 Series Vol 2
Material
X
Machine Music
GYTM Album
I'm Alive
The Clash of the Titans
The Secret Files
Little Man, Big Fight
Happy Hardcore Underground
Hardcore Innovators Vol 2
The High Grade
Bombs Away
Til Death Us Do Party
Mind Over Matter
Every single one of these releases over the last 4 years gave us brand new music that we simply would not have gotten without HU. We're all fully aware of the difficulties that often come with HU releases but how many times can any of you say that you've thought something you received was anything but of the highest quality? In a situation where Clubland can release a compilation rehash album featuring no new music whatsoever, with the full backing of all of the stagnant top tiers video messages, who really deserves our support?
There is literally no one else in this industry anymore that's prepared to try and upset the status quo, if there's a delay to a Clubland release, or whatever other crap someone puts out, do you think anyone loses any sleep? Even the most venomous of tongues would no doubt be met with a shrug.
It's easy to think of HU as a 'company' and us as 'the customer' and apply the same logic we would to a major conglomerate when faced with a delay or some other kind of essentially meaningless issue but do the heads of those conglomerates put literally everything they have on the line to bring us something new and exciting and try and push things forward? Do they fuck.
djDMS
I'm glad they haven't got too big to give a shit about what we think.
I appreciate the effort, and the circumstances the guys often end up with.
Yes, it's frustrating that there are delays, that's why I always add a few weeks to any release date I see announced :-P
I'm 46 years old and still buying stupid music because of HU and the few others who share the same passion.
Right now, I wouldn't care if they took my money and sent me nothing in return. After spending 30 years putting money into a scene that stopped giving anything back a long time ago, it's these people that need a break.
CDJay
You're hired. Be CDJay for two months.
I will be nice to your widow
Nah, genuinely appreciated. The backer survey was heartening as hell, but I just don't think most people get what we put ourselves through and how we get to feel about it. Even the last HH album was spoiled for us with top disinterest and *that* meeting. Imagine climbing Everest and getting handed a terminal diagnosis by unfeeling lab coats. That. That times ten
CDJay
CDJay
As an aside, I used to track comp releases in the 90s. I would walk for half an hour to the train station, take a train to Coventry, walk another 20 minutes to Virgin Megastores... And get told it was delayed. Then go home.
I used to get far less pissed off than most people now do, and there was nearly an album a week. C'est la vie.
CDJay
djDMS
I remember those days well.
Go in on release day - 'not in yet, might come on the delivery later'
Go back later - nope, nothing yet
Try the day after just in case - still no sign.
Next day on the off chance - 'don't be silly, nothing gets released on a Wednesday
Pick up sheet with next months release schedule - put back 3 weeks!
Rodz90
quote:Originally posted by djDMS:
I'm glad they haven't got too big to give a shit about what we think.
I honestly don't understand the hostility of the top tier. Why mark the only innovation that's happened within the Hardcore scene in the last ten years with a target? Especially given the complete lack of input from them in the last five years. It's almost as if they would see the music die rather then a good group of people do something productive with it.
Personally I wouldn't care if the album was delayed for another month. It's still going to be miles better then anything else that is currently available from other outlets.
CDJay
quote:Originally posted by Rodz90:
quote:Originally posted by djDMS:
I'm glad they haven't got too big to give a shit about what we think.
I honestly don't understand the hostility of the top tier. Why mark the only innovation that's happened within the Hardcore scene in the last ten years with a target? Especially given the complete lack of input from them in the last five years. It's almost as if they would see the music die rather then a good group of people do something productive with it.
That's why. They could trade off past glories ad nauseum and as long as no comparable match was offered to anything current the "we sold tens of thousands of units" would sustain. They don't want to fight in the gutter as they *will* lose. The goal posts have always moved to suit agenda. Every success maligned, every achievement dismissed.
Inactivity is legacy preservation. Tagging onto other things from embedded stature is the new thing. Any attempt at scene building or genre root recognition is and will be met with hearty dismissal and disdain.
Then I get to scrabble around on the floor doing post. Yay
CDJay
trippnface
quote:Originally posted by djDMS:
I'm glad they haven't got too big to give a shit about what we think.
I appreciate the effort, and the circumstances the guys often end up with.
Yes, it's frustrating that there are delays, that's why I always add a few weeks to any release date I see announced :-P
I'm 46 years old and still buying stupid music because of HU and the few others who share the same passion.
Right now, I wouldn't care if they took my money and sent me nothing in return. After spending 30 years putting money into a scene that stopped giving anything back a long time ago, it's these people that need a break.
"I'm 46 years old and still buying stupid music because of HU and the few others who share the same passion. "
Life ****ing goals. you are a badass. Please God; let me be raving at 46.
Sulphurik
Nice to see a new vocal track from Scott Brown - Stay With Me, sounds great.
CDJay
See? We listen.
Newsletter going out shortly; if any of y'all could have a stab at nabbing this and report any issues via DM.
I've had to attach the files to any bespoke backer upgrades, which in the short term means you'll have to nab each track and mix individually. Any other method would take longer; we'll ensure that per project/cd downloads are enabled down the road.
Despite the backdrop, we're really happy with this album. We've pressed twice as many, which was possibly a smidge ambitious. So... help shout about it. I spent the marketing budget on a Blu-ray
CDJay
Samination
will us non-backers also get the digitals today?
CDJay
Should already be live! It's in testing now, but I thought I'd utilise the informed pool of peeps here to test before firing out a newsletter to 4000 people
CDJay
djDMS
What's this, it's available now?
Vladel
Nothing is showing up for me yet
Samination
email system as borked as when I tried to recover my password? infact, i never managed to recover my original account :(
Well if anything, i got a bunch of tracks to download (just not from HH2, another album i've bought :P)
CDJay
Web guys on it. Second it's working I will notify!
CDJay
Elipton
Oh, go on then.
Samination
tracks are up now that i can see atleast.
Now I just need some higher res cover art :P
Well other than it's annoying to download them one and one, the speeds are quite good, at atleast 4MiB/s. And that the MIME settings for the webserver is correct so it doesn't make the Webbrowser (FireFox in my case) start playing the song instead :)
djDMS
Just grabbed mine.
Getting the tracks too
Rodz90
Nothing in the tracks section of my account on the site atm CDJay, guessing issues are still persisting?
Ikstra
Tracks are up, grabbing them now. Can't wait
Would be nice to have the tracks sorted by purchase date, should be much less effort than categorising and would achieve roughly the same thing.
Samination
yea. the tracks for daniel7 album was smack in the middle of these. If i had bought them with my original accoun i would probably have them with the first hh album
Ikstra
quote:Originally posted by Samination:
yea. the tracks for daniel7 album was smack in the middle of these. If i had bought them with my original accoun i would probably have them with the first hh album
Mine are spliced throughout the list to the level that you need Ctrl+F to find them all (and I've only got a few digital products), even with Ctrl+F, I've probably missed a few due to the limit on concurrent downloads.
EDIT: All downloaded now, let's go !
CDJay
Currently it's a pita to download, we have fixes on the way but bear with us!
Effort makes it feel more worth while.
CDJay
Vladel
Downloading now
CDJay
Should be working; we'd really hoped to have the per-release and .zip downloading stuff sorted prior but the people have spoken. Have some new music.
CDJay
djDMS
Jesus Christ, that Show me a sign remix is good!
CDJay
Correct!
CDJay
Ikstra
Hot damn... the first disc was fantastic! Well worth the wait
CDJay
I love it for sounding more like an HU mix; it's cake and eat it too time.
We're only here because you guys support us, and tolerate our missteps. Ambition is usually our undoing, but someone needs to show some
CDJay
Vladel
Your efforts are greatly appreciated as always CDjay.
latininxtc
quote:Originally posted by CDJay:
I love it for sounding more like an HU mix; it's cake and eat it too ttime
CDJay
Boo. As much as I love the HU series, I enjoy the differences in the styles of a HU Fracus & Darwin mix and what they did on HU's HH1 and was hoping they'd repeat it here. Speaking of which, are there still plans to do a HU8, or are you going to focus on pushing more HH albums?
Samination
Outforce & Hartshorn Feat. MC Riddle - Keep It Mello
What the hell was i listening to? westcoast rap style really ruined the track for me
CDJay
quote:Originally posted by latininxtc:
quote:Originally posted by CDJay:
I love it for sounding more like an HU mix; it's cake and eat it too ttime
CDJay
Boo. As much as I love the HU series, I enjoy the differences in the styles of a HU Fracus & Darwin mix and what they did on HU's HH1 and was hoping they'd repeat it here. Speaking of which, are there still plans to do a HU8, or are you going to focus on pushing more HH albums?
Don't get me wrong, it doesn't sound like an HU mix just moreso. It's a fusion; mainstream baiting but more interesting.
As for HU8, the HU series is supposed to showcase the genre "in all its glorious forms". There's so little subgenre activity, atm, I don't think we could make an album that does what we need it to. My suspicion is that we need a bit more time and energy focused on A&Ring new mid tier artists who can then make their mark. I'm hoping to do HU8 in 2018, but it's genuinely difficult to say.
CDJay
GrahamC
quote:Originally posted by djDMS:
Jesus Christ, that Show me a sign remix is good!
Yeah, worth the album price alone!
trippnface
started with disc 2. it's aight. wayyyy too much powertstomp influence for my tastes. pretty much a powerstomp mix; with maybe 3 or 4 uk hardcore tracks in there. wasnt really expecting something different though. alot of hardcore guys are really pushing that weak; slow; elongated powerstomp kick with the whiny hardstyle influenced synths; and like zero hardcore snare on most of the tracks. Just a boring sound; personally. like head bobbving music. not my fast hardcore stomp stomp sound i dance too.
if anyone unsure what I mean; swoop that daniel seven import mix. now that is a BANGER mix; tracks and all. dude is such a boss; and so on point. I guess though disc 2 is for disc 2 kind of people though... like ****. do peopel really like powerstomp hardcore more than hardcore breaks?
nobody i know does. dnb does way better.
Hotchkiss def saved the day; with a few other tracks. Sure the f & d disc will treat me much better.
trippnface
quote:Originally posted by CDJay:
quote:Originally posted by latininxtc:
quote:Originally posted by CDJay:
I love it for sounding more like an HU mix; it's cake and eat it too ttime
CDJay
Boo. As much as I love the HU series, I enjoy the differences in the styles of a HU Fracus & Darwin mix and what they did on HU's HH1 and was hoping they'd repeat it here. Speaking of which, are there still plans to do a HU8, or are you going to focus on pushing more HH albums?
Don't get me wrong, it doesn't sound like an HU mix just moreso. It's a fusion; mainstream baiting but more interesting.
As for HU8, the HU series is supposed to showcase the genre "in all its glorious forms". There's so little subgenre activity, atm, I don't think we could make an album that does what we need it to. My suspicion is that we need a bit more time and energy focused on A&Ring new mid tier artists who can then make their mark. I'm hoping to do HU8 in 2018, but it's genuinely difficult to say.
CDJay
"focused on A&Ring new mid tier artists who can then make their mark. "
Japan?
Not sure I have seen a fresh hardcore artist come out of anywhere else in a few years.
Mickey Init
CDJay, why aren't you on the latest podcast talking about stuff?
CDJay
Odd you should say that, as I will be on the next one. Far, far too many people are treating HU like a store which should run with absolute efficiency on par with Amazon. Far, far too few people realise just what it takes to get these projects to happen, and how often other people drop the ball and we get to be held to account for it.
So I'm going to vent.
There's a place for different experiences and expectations; let's look at the food industry. I like fast food franchises, but it's largely different to a high end restaurant. The high end restaurant you might need to make a reservation for. The high end restaurant might make you wait for a seat at a table. The high end restaurant might even make you wait 20-40 minutes for food.
Expecting HU to basically carry the entire scene, with one full time staff member, and one part time artist/admin guy, action/manage projects, deal with the rest of the scene, do accounts for tens of projects with hundreds of licensees *and* respond to every email or order in minutes is completely impractical.
Someone happily said in the HH thread on FB today "it shouldn't have gone out unless it was ready", which sounds sensible to me. We tested it as best we could, yet one product variant fell over. Rather than answering every FB query or scattered post/reply as it came in we scrambled behind the scenes to fix it for everyone rather than spending time telling everyone we'll get it fixed once we're done telling people we'll get it fixed. Also the "get it out when it's ready and/or we can be arsed" is an option that most of the rest of the scene seems to have taken with little positive effect.
(Maybe I'm off base, everyone else seems to spend their time having meetings and talking about grandiose schemes that never seem to actually happen.)
Aaaaaand, exhale
CDJay
Elipton
Calm yourself, squire.
I bought the album and some other stuff.
I've never really investigated the HU store with much intent to buy, but I had a good browse yesterday and the pricing and variety staggered me. I was really impressed, and I'll certainly return when the bank account has stopped sucking my car's penis (just today my alternator melted woopidy-doo. never buy a unicorn.).
Your store is the best thing in the scene at the moment, so I guess this will set expectation high, and keep the pressure on. Whilst you're achieving a lot with it, don't be disheartened by people who want more. They won't find another source on par.
It's a shame you're not able to find help with the HU projects as it could free you up enough to drive forward projects, but you must make clear and remind yourself that quality of product and of service is paramount as principle, and as example.
*I bet that post has made a few people lose some bets*
Vladel
My toddlers have just been bouncing to Scott brown - play. My oldest kept yelling "I like this one"
djDMS
quote:Originally posted by Elipton:
Calm yourself, squire.
I bought the album and some other stuff.
I've never really investigated the HU store with much intent to buy, but I had a good browse yesterday and the pricing and variety staggered me. I was really impressed, and I'll certainly return when the bank account has stopped sucking my car's penis (just today my alternator melted woopidy-doo. never buy a unicorn.).
Your store is the best thing in the scene at the moment, so I guess this will set expectation high, and keep the pressure on. Whilst you're achieving a lot with it, don't be disheartened by people who want more. They won't find another source on par.
It's a shame you're not able to find help with the HU projects as it could free you up enough to drive forward projects, but you must make clear and remind yourself that quality of product and of service is paramount as principle, and as example.
*I bet that post has made a few people lose some bets*
Ok, where do I report an account being hacked?
Samination
What? did skarr hack his account and post something nice for once?
arpz
Nice to see some renewed gusto, CDJay
:)
Elliott
quote:Originally posted by GrahamC:
quote:Originally posted by djDMS:
Jesus Christ, that Show me a sign remix is good!
Yeah, worth the album price alone!
Co-sign. Heard it before release (still haven't bought the album but may try) and it convinced me not to give up on F&D completely.
Samination
So far
F&D on HH2 > F&D on HH1 > SB on HH2 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> MOB on HH1.
I'm kinda dissapointed on Scott's trackselection on this. Well, mostly because of the missing gabber ofcourse, but in general I thought the tracks felt weaker compared to F&D's CD
Captain Triceps
quote:Originally posted by Samination:
So far
F&D on HH2 > F&D on HH1 > SB on HH2 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> MOB on HH1.
I'm kinda dissapointed on Scott's trackselection on this. Well, mostly because of the missing gabber ofcourse, but in general I thought the tracks felt weaker compared to F&D's CD
He wouldn't fill it completely with his own tunes or his own labels music, knowing that all the tracks would be available unmixed and possibly not worth releasing.
trippnface
aight; disc 1 brings some serious heat.
****ing Scoot & CS1 are murdering it. their track on the 24/7 vs comp was also first class. so happy to hear such bliss.
sure ; some hardstye ish sounds/ influences are still on some tracks; but they are used 100% properly with hardcore sounds and drops correctly placed ( atleast on the songs I like) not like disc 2 imo; ( but that is prob by design) . Such a nicer vibe on this disc.
SMD track is sick as well; always super nice to hear a track like that and want alot more for sure :D . disc 1 def brought me my lil break fix i was looking for... always need more hardcore breaks.
DBL track is 100% amazing ; ***** loved it.
chexmixer and stu track was seriously on point as well; keep replaying it. always so dope seing hhc.com members throw down <3.
Fracus & darwin- first love; and their remix of that cube :: hard track.. GOD DAMN. no shit.. just ace. kinda had me gnashing my teeth in sobriety there :o .
these tracks were just my favorite. def loads of other good ones. did not dissapoint! a few tracks i would have switched with my fav tracks on disc 2 ;) ; but beside that; very ; very sexy mix; and some awesome tracks all across the board.
ConnerIntenzifi
Bought HH2 & DJtools 1-5 recently just downloaded them all tonight.
Only listened to the tracks on the Scott Brown cd but loving most of them especially the newer producers tracks, good to hear tunes that dont sound out of place alongsides Scott's.
Will get down to F&D later
Elliott
Okay, I'm writing this as I'm listening to the mixes for the first time.
I bolded all my favourites -- tracks I probably would've bought during my TID flick-throughs a few years ago. Overall, unless I'm forgetting something, this is probably the best hardcore compilation I've heard since HU7(?). HH2 is far better than HH1 in that I enjoyed it without lowering my expectations (which I've had to do a lot in recent years). There are some real gems here -- as usual, though, you have to do a bit of digging.
For me: HH2 F&D >>> HH1 MOB = HH1 F&D > HH2 SB
FRACUS & DARWIN MIX:
"Heavyweight"/"Snowflakes": Everyone knows I'm not a big fan of this kind of lead sound and these two tracks have exceptionally similar leads. I don't know if I would've put them together like this because they sound far too alike.
"Lived A Lie": Catchy. Modern hardcore done right. Lovely perc/bsss combo too: good bouncy quality compared to a lot of new style stuff.
"Show Me A Sign": Big, big, big. I heard this one pre-release so I knew there was guaranteed to be at least one slammer on here. Sounds slighty different to/better than the version I heard (might have gone through an extra mastering phase/remastering since then?). Remixing Cube::Hard is not something everyone should attempt but this track wouldn't be out of place on any late '00s hardcore compilation. Real hardcore and a strong show of diversity.
"We Can Dance": Not usually my thing but by the time the second drop kicked in, I was moving around a lot. Nice surprise.
...Disappointing track from Ganar (I used to hold him in higher regard than most fans). Has that kind of identikit modern hardcore lead that's basically replaced the supersaw (so much for diversifying the genre). "Everybody In The House" is blatantly not my kind of thing.
"Run The Night": Probably an absolutely excellent track if you like this kind of music. I enjoyed it a lot, especially the distorted kick switch.
...Some other tracks. I've grown to appreciate those old skool ravey sounds in certain settings (see also: SMD). Too many modern hardcore tracks have replaced the endless saw pads with heavy reverb-delay piano chords. Sometimes it seems like all the lauded "evolution" in our genre boils down to is swapping out old kit parts for new ones. More weak, whiny portamento leads. "Scream & Shout" might grow on me. I like that style in small doses but it inevitably all sounds the same and should be used in the same way that tracks like "Bang Yer Head Off" were in the past: transient DJ tools for occasionally switching things up. In general, I really don't like F&D's current lead sounds and they seem to be reusing the same ones a lot.
"Nas Nas": Didn't want to like it but did. Completely new. I love hearing something completely different to break up the pace in a mix.
"Missing You": I've rated Andy Wilson ever since his "Last Jungle" remix. This was a nice little track.
"Edge Of A Broken Heart": BIG! I wanted to like this because I used to talk to Chex a lot but I didn't even need to try. This is massive. When I saw the collab, I was worried about how it would turn out. Stu Infinity has gone full blown new style over the last few years whereas Chex is more my guy when it comes to sounds. This track is definitely more in Chex's style. I always knew he had a melody in him and would do big things with better production values. If you read this, congrats again, mate. Probably one of the tracks of the album.
"Closer": I just can't get behind this new Technikore. He was one of the last big names producing real hardcore and it's really sad to hear his 2016/17 work. Track's probably okay if you like this kind of music.
"Silhouettes": Large track by modern standards. I'm feeling it. I preferred Outforce circa 2013 (and his previous aliases) but he was one of those that enthusiastically adopted the new style so I can't begrudge him making what he genuinely enjoys.
...Generic ending to the mix.
SCOTT BROWN MIX:
"Light Show": Goddamnit, Technikore. JTS is a bad influence clearly. This one does have a nice little supersaw switch-up though.
...Let's pretend this bit didn't happen.
"Pilgrim": I guess I'm the first to complain when remixes of Scott Brown tracks end up sounding like updates of the originals (which they almost always do for whatever reason) so I should appreciate the effort to bring something different. But I'd argue that Pilgrim dropping into a generic slice of electro is worse. The Pilgrim "choir" lead is supposed to be backed up by a supersaw layer -- that's just the way it is. Nothing-y remix and track.
...When I saw that SB would be doing the second mix, I thought "oh great, this is where the supersaw anthems will go". As soon as I saw the tracklist and artists involved, I knew it wasn't going to be like that though. Still, even I was surprised and disappointed by how little SB-type material was on here. Jakka-B, Outforce and Dougal are not names that belong on an SB mix.
"On My Mind": Exactly what I expected a SB/Hotchkiss collab to sound like. Good news; good track.
"I Want You 2017": Ganar was one of those producers who really developed a signature sound to the point where he could've been accused of being lazy but hearing this, I can't help missing his old "upfront leads with traditional melodies" sound of a few years back. He did some really good tracks in his own style.
"To The Beat": Well, it's SB and one of the few actual SB tracks on offer (given his history with compilations, I'd be surprised if it was his idea to cede so much space to other artists). I hope tunes like this are just part of a phase or an experiment with the album specifically in mind. This one isn't really recognisable as an SB track, which is something he's traditionally always had going for him.
"Hear Me": I haven't kept up with Eufeion as much as I'd like but this isn't what I was expecting. Seeing a collab with Denile (his old labelmate under another alias iirc?) on offer immediately made me think of '00s hardcore.
"Last Symphony": One of the minor positives of modern hardcore is that I'm hearing more 16/32-bar melodies -- not intrinsically good or bad but they make a nice, interesting departure from the tradtionally 4/8-bar riff-centric stuff.
...Did F&D call shotgun on all the good tracks? I wonder what SB really thinks about some of the tracks in his mix.
"Star Strider": One of those collabs that I immediately had high hopes for. No disappointment. The breakbeat section is heavy as well. We need more tracks with full breakbeat breakdowns and proper hybrids.
...Generic. Highlight in here was an unexpected scratch break during the drop of one of the tracks. So, yeah, that's not great. I don't know what's more disappointing: the remixes of SB classics, the SB tracks themselves, the other contributions or that this is what passes for an SB compilation CD these days.
"Need You In My Arms": Needless to say, I approached this one with some trepidation because the original is a '00s classic. In fairness, this is not the hammer-job I was expecting. It's just an inoffensive, needless remix in a modern style. If I didn't love the original, I probably wouldn't like this (but I do so I can tolerate the remix). Kinda proves my earlier point that people remix SB a lot but never seem to bring anything substantially new to the table. Is it because the originals are too good to improve in any compositional sense? Quite possibly.
...
"Play": The best SB track on the album. It's not "The Bleep Song" but it's very nice and retains enough traditional sensibility to appeal to me despite a simple lead melody. If SB has to go down the modern route, he at least proves here that he can bring a great new texture to the sounds, reminiscent of the '00s vibes.
"Never Know": Surely one of the album's most promising collabs on paper. Not quite classic material but it was enough to get me hyped.
"The Roof is On Fire": Sadly, neither of these names really fills anyone with excitement anymore. I think it was an important from a marketing perspective to get these kinds of producers on board but the track itself is exactly as turgid as you would expect from a modern Dougal/Riot collab. Big shame considering where they both came from.
"This Is How We Do It": Really lush new breakdown. Lovely stuff. This is one of the more inventive remixes of SB I've heard, which is odd because the drop is basically a powerstomp clone of the original track. I'd prefer it if M-Project had put his talent towards producing an entirely new track in this style. Why go to all the effort of laying down a nice perc/bass combo, perfecting a classic hardcore lead and then just use it to copy someone else's melody verbatim?
Interesting couple of hours. I don't know if I'd listen to either mix in its entirety again. I'd be much more likely to pick the dozen or so gems out and play them individually. The good track to total track ratio is as respectable as I've seen from a hardcore compilation in a long time. There was a time when 10:40 was unacceptable and made a shitty album but these days and considering where I'm coming from, a full quarter of your tracks being keepers actually represents great value for money and a successful project. Bear in mind that my ratio on Ham's album at the moment is 0:10 (I'm still listening to it on repeat in the faint hope that some tracks might be growers..).
Samination
as I mentioned earlier, I was kinda dissapointed at the tracks from SBs mix. The Pilgrim remix was definitly the lowpoint (the last 2 minute was fine though). But compared to you, I like lightshow for some reason.
I will take a listen to the tracks properly so I can make a better review, but so far the Pilgrim remix and that bloody vocals from the Keep it Mello track are the lowest point, which kinda sets the rest of the tracks fairly high for me :P
If had heard Play somewhere else and without a name, I would have never guessed that it was Scott Brown at all. That's quite change for scott, but its not my favorite track on his set.
I also kinda agree about Scotts set, it feels like he was forced to not-be-scott-brown. But for once it's kinda funky to hear him play freeform-ish tracks on his set (Star Strider, which is kinda a Makina/Freeform clash a-la jD-KiD)
Vladel
Play is awesome.
Elliott
After further listening, I've decided "Edge Of A Broken Heart" is indeed my pick of the entire album. Absolutely huge modern supersaw anthem. Putting it next to other tracks in this mix shows up how embarrassingly weak new hardcore leads are. Honestly, the comparison utterly humiliates what passes for hardcore these days. Just listen to any of the other tracks and then put that one on. It comes in like a kick to the face.
When I heard the first few bars, I had my "this was worth every second" moment. Huge smile on my face. Worth the price of the album alone (if CDJay hadn't sent me the digital release already -- what a legend).
And it's obviously fantastic to see Stu Infinity back involved in the kind of music he does so well. He was a low-key king of supersaw hardcore and definitely one of the bigger losses when he started changing his sound.
Brilliant, brilliant track. These moments are the reason I still hang around here with my fingers crossed. All the time there are gems like this to be discovered, I don't think I'll ever fully give it up.
Thanks, CDJay, Chex and Stu Infinity. You lads made my day.
robertybob
I guess I'll be the one to go against the grain here:
HH1 F&D > HH2 F&D > HH2 SB > HH1 MOB
trippnface
my tiny other complaint; why the **** use a shitty j core track ; when they have some of the current; best; mot uplifting sounds around!?
That Relect track is 100% dog shit; and he has some GOOD music. If we are going to push j core to the general public; let's make sure it does not sound like Gammer.
Dy5oN
quote:Originally posted by Elliott:
...Generic ending to the mix.
Haha thanks Elliott!
Perhaps you'd prefer the Olly P remix :)
Vladel
quote:Originally posted by Dy5oN:
quote:Originally posted by Elliott:
...Generic ending to the mix.
Haha thanks Elliott!
Perhaps you'd prefer the Olly P remix :)
Btw unrelated but I'd like to say your track on HH2 with Darwin is brilliant.
Dy5oN
quote:Originally posted by Vladel:
Btw unrelated but I'd like to say your track on HH2 with Darwin is brilliant.
Thank you :) and at nearly 8 minutes long, great value for money! haha.
Btw, DJ Cotts has been playing our (Darwin & Dy5oN) new track on his HH.com show :)
Mickey Init
The Scott Brown mix hasn't had a look in yet; I've listened to the F&D mix from start to finish 4 times now.
Dual ownership is the future!
Golion
This is a bit of a tough one for me. I love Uk hardcore that sounds like a modern version of classic happy hardcore. Cheesy but just the right kind of cheese. Hard trance is my favorite genre so stuff that sounds like it came from the start of the millennium also speaks to me. The first half of the F&D mix had a bit to much edm-inspired sounds for me but around halfway in it gets more like the stuff I love. I guess that the hardcore heaven project is meant to be sort of a gateway into hardcore for new listeners and that is a great thing. I just hope that us oldtimers will get more hardcore underground albums in the future that are more like HU 5/6 (my favorites in the series). Every cd with its own style and a good mix of upfront uk hardcore, breakbeats, freeform and a splash of the dutch sounds for good measure =)
Tomorrow its time for the Scott Brown cd and I have high hopes :D
Elipton
I assume you're all playing digital copies of the album, right?
CDJay
Without useful industry, or time travel, that's fair to assume.
I really cannot stress enough how disheartened I am, atm, and want to flee and watch from afar.
CDJay
Samination
well personally I bought the album for the digitals.
Dy5oN
quote:Originally posted by CDJay:
Without useful industry, or time travel, that's fair to assume.
I really cannot stress enough how disheartened I am, atm, and want to flee and watch from afar.
CDJay
Chin up, I'm sure it'll still be a success :) Are there that many customers upset about the delay in the physical product despite you releasing the digital copies for them?
Out of interest, how many different CD manufacturers has HU used in the last 10 years?
CDJay
Not many, and it's not even the point.
I just wrote a massive bitter diatribe, now deleted. I am bored of overachieving armed with a spork against an army, then being held to account for everyone else failing to meet any depressingly realistic minimum spec. The only way to cast focus is to leave and watch. You may need time lapse cameras.
CDJay
Elipton
quote:Originally posted by CDJay:
Without useful industry, or time travel, that's fair to assume.
I really cannot stress enough how disheartened I am, atm, and want to flee and watch from afar.
CDJay
Physical copies are out at the end of May as per post #1 then. Just wanted to make sure as I put my order in earlier in the month.
We all have those gut-wrenching moments. The flipside is that there's potentially a lot that can be learned. Can't say much else without hearing the music so I'll sit tight.
jordesuvi
quote:Originally posted by CDJay:
Not many, and it's not even the point.
I just wrote a massive bitter diatribe, now deleted. I am bored of overachieving armed with a spork against an army, then being held to account for everyone else failing to meet any depressingly realistic minimum spec. The only way to cast focus is to leave and watch. You may need time lapse cameras.
CDJay
If it's of any consolation, I'm incredibly happy with the release thus far.
"Hey, there's a slight delay with the physical copies (we're a small company trying our best but sometimes there's hiccups) so to appease here's the digitals whilst you excitedly wait for them to show up at your doorstep".
Artistically, I can understand why this is disheartening since I imagine you wanted customers to have a certain initial experience with the album, however in the grand scheme of things I paid for two artist mixes and forty unmixed tracks. The pretty packaging is just a nice presentation bonus that I can put on a shelf next to my HH1 copy.
_Jay_
I haven't even bought the first one yet....
Heinous lack of support. Will correct that shortly and buy both.
Captain Triceps
Yeah I'm yet to buy this new one, although I fully intend to. It's not a huge amount of money to ask but I simply won't have it spare for a few weeks.
Vladel
quote:Originally posted by CDJay:
Not many, and it's not even the point.
I just wrote a massive bitter diatribe, now deleted. I am bored of overachieving armed with a spork against an army, then being held to account for everyone else failing to meet any depressingly realistic minimum spec. The only way to cast focus is to leave and watch. You may need time lapse cameras.
CDJay
I'm very pleased with the release.
CDJay
As you can probably guess, yesterday was a "trying" day with yet another cascade of issues out of my hands resulting in an entire day of crushing panic attacks and cold sweats. Still, all resolved, now.
Emotional yo-yo, atm, honestly.
CDJay
_Jay_
Hang in there, brother.
CDJay
Come be emotional support on Saturday, Jay
CDJay
Samination
I wish i could just take an spontaneous trip to the UK again...
Sulphurik
quote:Originally posted by Elliott:
...When I saw that SB would be doing the second mix, I thought "oh great, this is where the supersaw anthems will go". As soon as I saw the tracklist and artists involved, I knew it wasn't going to be like that though. Still, even I was surprised and disappointed by how little SB-type material was on here. Jakka-B, Outforce and Dougal are not names that belong on an SB mix.
I think that's a little harsh. SB has had Dougal (& Gammer) tracks on some of his mixes in the past (eg. a few Bonkers mixes). Plus if a track is good enough to be put on a mix doesn't matter who the artist is imo.
Samination
tbh, if you sign SB to make the mix, then you'd expect to hear a SB mix.
Sure SB probably likes the tracks he played on his set, but is it the usual stuff he mixes?
Captain Triceps
quote:Originally posted by Samination:
tbh, if you sign SB to make the mix, then you'd expect to hear a SB mix.
Sure SB probably likes the tracks he played on his set, but is it the usual stuff he mixes?
I'm sticking by my earlier thought, the tracks on the mix are all available in full length when you buy the album, and so it would impact sales for his label significantly.
CDJay
That would make more sense if it wasn't almost guaranteed that you'll make more per track from this album than you will off a digital release
CDJay
CDJay
quote:Originally posted by Samination:
I wish i could just take an spontaneous trip to the UK again...
It's officially close enough to the time to qualify as spontaneous!
There's Electrik the following night, and the weather's nice. The pound is weak.
See you there
CDJay
Captain Triceps
quote:Originally posted by CDJay:
That would make more sense if it wasn't almost guaranteed that you'll make more per track from this album than you will off a digital release
CDJay
Hadn't thought of it in that respect, I imagine the sales from this album have already far exceeded how many MP3s would sell, although I've no idea how well MP3s do in the current climate anyway.
CDJay
I can't speak from actual first hand experience, as we decided digital only releases were a waste of time even before the bottom dropped out, but unless you are Darren Styles.... it's unlikely you're doing 1000 units in the near term. Which is what you'd have to do to get the same per track earnings as you do from this purely as a physical release, albeit under the presumption we shift ~1900 units in the next few months, never mind follow up digital.
Which is why I find it flabbergasting how little interest a lot of the established players have in this album or indeed format.
Still, more investment and exposure for the hungry and motivated emerging mid tier.
CDJay
Samination
quote:Originally posted by CDJay:
quote:Originally posted by Samination:
I wish i could just take an spontaneous trip to the UK again...
It's officially close enough to the time to qualify as spontaneous!
There's Electrik the following night, and the weather's nice. The pound is weak.
See you there
CDJay
Yea I saw that one, but getting there is the harder part :P
Elipton
quote:Originally posted by CDJay:
I can't speak from actual first hand experience, as we decided digital only releases were a waste of time even before the bottom dropped out, but unless you are Darren Styles.... it's unlikely you're doing 1000 units in the near term. Which is what you'd have to do to get the same per track earnings as you do from this purely as a physical release, albeit under the presumption we shift ~1900 units in the next few months, never mind follow up digital.
Which is why I find it flabbergasting how little interest a lot of the established players have in this album or indeed format.
Still, more investment and exposure for the hungry and motivated emerging mid tier.
CDJay
I'm going to sound like a broken record, but I have to say it again. Hardcore Underground has quickly become the biggest label in Hardcore, but you're kings of a declining kingdom. Therefore, you're doomed to be frustrated. You need to find an old release that's reached the end of it's product lifecycle and form a plan to push it forward for free streaming, get it on YouTube and collaborate with online promoters such as Jordesuvi.
Drum & Bass uploads to UKF channels. Hospital Records uploaded their entire back-cat and built an enormous online footprint with ancient old stock. Virtually every genre is focused with online sales plans that account for streaming. Hardcore Underground should really look at trialling an online plan in order to investigate ways to become sustainable and find new followers.
My opinion, anyway. Tantus labor non sit cassus.
Elipton
.
CDJay
Sorry, been AWOL (had an actual *weekend* off!!!!).
Once we ship the outstanding products, we're going to have a serious rethink about what we do going forward.
Some of that will be recapitalising and utilising existing products and catalogue (partly in the ways you describe) and some will be exploring some video stuff and branching out a bit.
We're still planning another compilation, to follow HH2, although it isn't HH3, and there are some more oldskool/artist focussed projects to come.
We're aiming to be infinitely more self reliant.
I guess what really matters is shifting as many HH2 albums and BTR blu-rays as possible, in the near term.
Getting our site fixed to what we specced is also an extremely high priority. We've let the basics slip away whilst trying to achieve the impossible, which is far from ideal.
CDJay
Vladel
I bet there is a happy hardcore underground 2 in that somewhere
djDMS
I've held my opinion back so far, and will continue to do so for a little while longer.
But what I will say, is that my lack of feedback is a good thing. Quite often I listen to an album a few times and think 'Wow, this is ace'...then get quickly bored with it!
Not so in this case. Yes, there are a fair few tracks that jump out at me as instant favourites (along with a few instant dislikes), but there are LOADS that are steadily growing on me - which means it's already looking like it'll keep me interested much longer than the first HH album.
warped_candykid
quote:Originally posted by Vladel:
I bet there is a happy hardcore underground 2 in that somewhere
That's what I'm waiting on!
lurker
Heard the last HU podcast and I've gotta say, Show Me A Sign and First Love were really good. I might check this one out.
quote:Originally posted by trippnface:
my tiny other complaint; why the **** use a shitty j core track ; when they have some of the current; best; mot uplifting sounds around!?
That Relect track is 100% dog shit; and he has some GOOD music. If we are going to push j core to the general public; let's make sure it does not sound like Gammer.
Well, if they already like making tracks that sound like Gammer and want to fit in on a UK label... (and have a track on a UK label which is far easier to license to begin with...)
PecheyTheLizard
Honestly, I'm waiting for some more artists albums! I would kill to have a Kurt album, or a Hixxy album with the very best of his past and present tracks.
But you know, I'll be happy with whichever CDJay decides to put together.
Samination
yea, I would love to hear why Hixxy isn't doing it. Is Darren, Gammer or MC Storm holding him back?
CDJay
Shipping Now!
(Well, Monday, but I'm doing post over the weekend so technically it is now shipping
CDJay
CDJay
First 200 packed, let's see what i can do in the next 90 mins!
CDJay
Cyrax
quote:Originally posted by CDJay:
First 200 packed, let's see what i can do in the next 90 mins!
CDJay
You could watch a whole footy match
Samination
or make sure my order(s) are one of those 200 :P
djDMS
It looks lovely.
Even though I've been listening to it for a while now, it's still going in the car later then paraded around work all week.
GrahamC
Got mine :)
Super happy with that as I expected to have to wait for it to come with Blu The Roof
Ta Muchly!
Elipton
I've only opened up the packaging today and my first impressions are overwhelmingly positive. I've never seen a fold style like that used in a CD case.
I'll give it a go in the car very soon!
The drunken scotsman
Got mine yesterday and gave the Scott Brown cd a brief listen. First impressions are very good but will give it a proper listen next week when out on the road.
Forgive my ignorance but are we supposed to receive a digital download of the compilation including unmixed tracks as well as the hard copy?
CDJay
Yes; if you log in to the store and go to "my account" you can nab digital mixes and the individual tracks. It's currently a laborious, per track download nightmare, even though this was sensibly specced for launch Jan '16. We're fixing. Heh.
CDJay
The drunken scotsman
Great, cheers 👍🏻
Elipton
So I've given CD1 a good listen, and since I don't buy much Hardcore these days, I may as well do a quick track-by-track review.
01. RedMoon & Meron Ryan - Heavyweight (Fracus & Darwin's VIP Intro Remix)
Generally uninterested in this one. The vocal doesn't impress me much with quality of writing and quality of recording, but it's a nice riff.
Luke warm
02. Fracus & Darwin - Snowflakes
Really liked this one. It's a top quality melodic track, with a style of vocal that's no often heard in modern Hardcore. Really good.
Sizzling
03. DBL - Lived A Lie
Pretty cool track. Plenty of dynamic riffs and a decent vocal.
Warm
04. Cube::Hard - Show Me A Sign (Fracus & Darwin Remix)
This is a solid remix, though there's no surprises from F&D with it. The treatment is as you'd expect from them, so it's solid. But as it's something you'd expect, it's not special.
Luke warm
05. Ryan Kore & Stu Infinity - We Can Dance
This one's not so much a bad track - in fact the vocal is solid and the riff is alright, but it's hurt by the fact it's part of a 4 or 5 track bloc of very similar Hardcore that's not got very much personality. The mix hasn't put forward anything to make itself unique or memorable yet and by this point I was becoming fatigued with the similar style of music.
Cool
06. Ganar - Crazy
This track was a little different, which was refreshing, but it didn't massively appeal to me. However, the quality of production was very good, and Ganar has enough about him, as always, to be a heavy-hitter.
Warm
07. Relect - Everybody In The House
This was a track I enjoyed, and I think the mix needed it earlier to dilute the earlier tracks a little. It's the sort of track that adds a bit of flavour and personality to the mix
Hot
08. Scoot & CS1 - Run The Night
Really enjoyed this one. Cool melody and a style that continues on from the last track of increased variety.
Hot
09. SMD#4AA.17
As with the previous two, a switch up in style, and it's awesome. This is a blend of traditional noises that always gets the listener bopping. This was probably the most dynamic and fast moving track on the album, and it was possibly the stand-out track for me.
Sizzling
10. Fracus & Darwin Feat. Toni Leo - Out Of The Rain
Back to the trending style of 2017, and this one didn't entertain me massively. It's a F&D track that holds up well, but I can't help but feel that these days their production style with remixes and this sort of vocal track is like a Nashville Instagram filter. There doesn't seem to be the innovation that there could be.
Cool
11. MOB & TekFreq - Bring The House Down
This one had me hooked. It was a really cool Mickey Skeedale-esque track based on a cool sample and a good lead. I did like this one.
Hot
12. Fracus & Darwin Scream & Shout
This is just my opinion, and it won't be most people's, but this track didn't impress me in the slightest. There're cool qualities just as the lead that never dropped, but the vocal sample and the unusual sounds just annoyed me unfortunately. Nevertheless, it was a switch up from the usual F&D sound.
Cold
13. Fracus & Darwin - First Love
I was bored of this type of vocal about 15 years ago, but it's enveloped in quite a cool instrumental. There are sections that have that great rave sound F&D occasionally bring.
Warm
14. Jakka B & Clarkey - Nas Nas
Interesting. This wasn't a track that you'd expect on this mix let alone at this stage of one. I'm no expert on mix structures, other than it should be kept energetic and exciting. This is 4 minutes of very driving but broken down sound and it's not really continued momentum more than it's slowed it down.
Cold
15. Andy Wilson - Missing You (F&D Edit)
Andy Wilson is a name I've not spoken to in years, but his production is betetr than I've ever heard here. Kudos to him. The track is a real belter. A nice fattened lead with lots of supporting plucks.
Hot
16. Chexmixer & Stu Infinity - Edge Of A Broken Heart
This was a track I'd heard somewhere before, and I was happy it was included in the mix. It's a real anthem. Top quality vocals and a great energetic supporting track. Great to hear Stu Infinity adding to his great discography. This track reminds me a lot of older Entity tracks, and that'd only ever a good thing.
Sizzling
17. Technikore & JTS Feat. Harri Rush - Closer
I know this is what the 2017 sound is, but it's not quite for me. Compared to the previous track, the vocal sounds inferior and the melody doesn't compete. After a track like EOABH, this should have been something totally different and quirky so that this track and the previous track aren't so comparable. That's not Technikore and JTS' fault, this should have been track 18. I'm sorry, but if you have a headline DJ play a mainstream set, the next DJ is hurting his own cause by playing a similar comparable set, right? Same goes for mixes. I feel for Technikore and JTS as I reckon this track probably stands up well on it's own.
Cold
18. Outforce - Silhouettes
Another similar track to the previous 3, but has a decent vocal (good quality recording though) and a stand-out lead and drop. Not massive on the choice of bass sound, but cool song nonetheless.
Hot
19. Marc Smith & Chris Fear - Enjoy The Noise
I liked this track for it's good melody and supporting riffs. It's good to see Marc Smith still at it at a good level.
Warm
20. Darwin & Dy5on Feat. Bea Aria - You Are Still The One
This was a nice track, and it was probably fitting for the album to end as it started. The vocal was sung nicely, and the melodies was nice to listen to. I always find it a shame that a mix doesn't end with anything more special than a mixable outro.
Warm
So that's my track-by-track review. Obviously subjective and doesn't really have much relevance given that people are going to agree or disagree with every point I made.
Allow me to summarise the mix and my thoughts on it. There's obviously some real belters in there, and I would say that they're the best I've heard in a long while. However, the structure of the mix just strikes me as peculiar. There were blocks of tracks weren't bad, but very similar that blend into 10-15 minutes of the same music, and to me that was tiresome. It needed to be diluted with tracks like SMD# and 'Everybody In The House' more. Minor thoughts are that there's a lot of similar sounding tracks. There's a lot of tracks were vocals might be sung nicely, but the recording quality seems lacking - especially when Edge Of A Broken Heart is the benchmark.
I'm going to receive the mix warmly, but it's certainly not going to touch the top 20 mixes I can think of. It's a shame, and partly down to my opinion on current UK Hardcore, but it's not a bad mix. There's room for improvement certainly, mainly in balancing trending tracks with tracks that are either more risky or a completely different angle because there were points that I was getting a little mored.
I look forward to CD2 and I will revisit this mix soon.
Elipton
CD 2!
I'm going to write as I hear for the first time this time.
01. Technikore & JTS vs Michael Mansion - Light Show
Really liking this track. It's just a brilliant track, and it shines far brighter than the CD1 track by these guys. Cracking stuff, and probably one of the tracks of the year.
Sizzling
02. Outforce & Hartshorn Feat. MC Riddle - Keep It Mello (M-Project Remix)
Not going to say say anything about this. You guys know this is not up my street at all.
Frozen.
03. Scott Brown - Pilgrim (Outforce & Enemy Remix)
I'd love to remix this track one day. It lends itself to so many styles and interpretations. This is an interesting take, and it's not taken to me entirely yet. I won't complain about it though.
Warm
04. Jakka-B - Lost In The Rhythm
It's one of those tracks that you wonder whether you can just cut the drop and put it in any track, but it exists. I think it'd drop amazingly on the dancefloor as it's quite fun, but is it really headphone music? Perhaps, it's an entertaining change of style.
Warm
05. Hotchkiss & Scott Brown - On My Mind
Really liked this one, though it went on a little too long. Nice vocal and a quirky instrumental underneath it. It's not comparable to the track before, and this is what I'm beginning to notice. There aren't blocks of similar/comparable tracks. I think this an advantageous factor regardless if the new flavours are to your taste or not.
Hot
06. Ganar - I Want You (2017)
I said on CD1 that Ganar has enough about him, and here's the proof of the pudding. Really nice melodic track that makes the most of the trending style.
Hot
07. Scott Brown - To The Beat
This sounds very Scott Brown indeed. Oh my, this sounds very 2002 Scott Brown! This is a massive change in style, and it's one of those great legacy blends with newer production values. Where can you go wrong with that formula? This is a top track!
Sizzling
08. Eufeion & Denile - Hear Me
Different. Not my kind of different, mainly because it's one of those vocals that I've been bored of for decades. Subjective and that's just me.
Cold
09. SynthWulf - Last Symphony (Scott Brown Remix)
Surprised to see a Synthwulf track on here. I was a fan of him after hearing his mix on the old NEC podcasts. Perhaps I should revisit his music. Even as a SB remix, this is very different to what I expected. It's almost S3RL-esque. Not a bad thing at all, and it's a very good track. Very playful and I really think a lot of it.
Hot
10. Callum Higby & Macks Wolf Feat. Rhezie - Right Here
Macks Wolf is a name I've never really heard much music from. I'm aware of him on Scarred and I regret not being more investigative. This is a quality track. Vocals are very well sung and sound really clean. The track surrounding kicks ass too. It's not my favourite style, but it's quality as a top Hardcore track can't be ignored.
Hot
11. SynthWulf & M-Project - Star Strider
Oooh, this has started very interestingly. This seems ture to what you'd consider a Synthwulf/M-Project track sounding like and it's fantastic! It's like something out of a video game - I love it! Right up my street! If Freeform took a turn in this direction I'd love it. It's playful and fun, and absolutely nothing like what you'd expect. Exactly how Freeform should be. I want more. This is the new benchmark.
Sizzling
12. Jekyll & Clarkey - Open Your Eyes
Jekyll is someone I've been impressed by this year, and this seems true to that form. Top notch riffs and even though it's not a million miles from the way tracks have moved this year, it sounds very refreshing and new. This mix has hit the nail on the head with variety.
Hot
13. Scott Brown - Something Real
Something awesome. Really good track. Melodic, powerful, Scott Brown. Very dynamic and a fun track throughout.
14. Avi8 - The Forgotten Star (Macks Wolf & Clarkey Remix)
This lead synth sound reminds me a little of a singing cartoon cat. Rather peculiar. Other than that, it's a cool riff and the vocals are really nice.
Hot
15. Scott Brown & Kelly C - Need You In My Arms (Ganar Remix)
I can't get behind this one. I just don't understand why the bassline is necessary and it puts the stoppers on a chain of really cool tracks. Everything apart from the bassline is really cool, but from a mix down and sound selection perspective for that bassline, this shouldn't have made it out of the DAW.
Cold
16. Scott Brown & Ceci - Stay With Me
This is a return to form. Really cool progressive track. Vocals could do with being a bit more prominent in the mix, but the instrumental is lush beyond words. It's very 'Bonkers 16' with it's style, and that's totally a good thing. It keeps the range of styles fresh, and it's an asset.
Hot
17. Scott Brown - Play
The transition was a bit rough for this one. A delicate and flowing track into a hard driver. Nevertheless, it sounds like a top melodic track. There've been loads from this CD thankfully. This reminds me of Lost Generation, and I ****ing loved that track.
Hot
18. Hotchkiss & M-Project - Never Know
Has this taken a tempo rise? Holy shit! Awesome track and it's full of adrenaline. This would pop on a dancefloor. Hotchkiss as well. Really glad he's still knocking about. Top producer.
19. Dougal & Joey Riot - The Roof Is On Fire
Two producers that I'm curious about. One comes from a mainstream background, the other powerstomp. It's a strange match up, but the track is quite exciting. Not 100% my taste, but I'm bopping to it.
Warm
20. Plus System - This Is How We Do It (M-Project Remix)
This needs to be good. I liked the preview, and M-Projects collabs on here have been really good, but the Mello track needs to be redeemed for. Alas, it's a great track, and it's perfect to end the CD on. It's a finale made up of an older track remixed by a producer who's taken Hardcore by storm recently. I'm relieved this isn't powerstomp too.
Hot.
So I've heard the whole thing. CD2 was a a really nice mix of the best Hardcore tracks of 2016/2017 infused with some amazing underrated ones. Synthwulf, Macks Wolf and Scott Brown are the names of note from this CD. Compared to CD1, it was rich with variety. No two similar tracks are next to each other, so you never really go from one vocal track to an inferior vocal track. This is the way mixes should be. It was fast moving (other than the occasional 5-min track), dynamic, and varied. Fracus and Darwin have done this for a long time, but I feel they have something to learn from Scott Brown. There were points where the same style of music was being thrown at you for 4 or 5 tracks, and I just don't think that's the way to do it.
I'm disappointed, probably more than I should be, that the end of CD2 was a mixable outro. Why? What's the point? You're rounding up the Hardcore release event of 2017, why not do something special? Why not ask M-Project to provide a version that ends in a more exclusive way? Why not end the CD with something unique? This is my problem with Hardcore as it is. No one, other than DJ's, want a mixable intro/outro. No consumer, on a larger macro scale, will ever want nor need to hear a mixable section of a track. The DJ's job is to make only the exciting parts of tracks presented to the consumer. The fact that two big mixes have ended with a mixable outro, to me, suggests that the DJ's can't be bothered to wrap up a CD finale in a more interesting way. It's neglecting the opportunity to make a mix special and give it a zest of character that makes it stand out amongst the long history of Hardcore releases. These mixes need it. The artwork certainly isn't doing that job, and I did notice that the artwork wasn't revealed this time in the reveal thread. Is no one proud of it?
Nevertheless, it's a worthy Hardcore compilation. There're some amazing tracks featured, and some of them I'd like to get my hands on. Producers that are new to me (having neglected Hardcore for 3/4 years now) and I'm pleased to hear that the genre is in a positive state of affairs. I've heard a Synthwulf track that I think the entire Freeform genre should be moulded around, so this album certainly has FAR more positives than negatives. I've only made my negative points known as there seems to be some exasperation about this release, and if there's a question why, perhaps I've helped answer it. Please take what I've said constructively because based on this album, I would buy another.
CDJay
Appreciated squire. You actually get all 40 unmixed tracks; log into your account in the store and look for my tracks.
Atm it's a pita, but snazzy replacement will be ready soon.
CDJay
Elipton
Well, powder me in sugar and call me a donut.
That makes it even better value for money. Nicely done!
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I guess I'll be the one to go against the grain here: